Stud drilling machine



Euly 1, 1969 R. E. FOREMAN STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1966 Sheet of.8

F lNv ENTOR wafer f. Fdfif/P/A/V ATTORNEYJ y 969 R- E. FOREMAN 3,452,792

STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1966 Sheet ,8 of 8 'INVENTOR R0550 f. Ffl/FAMAN MRNEYS y 1, 1969 R. E. FOREMAN 3,452,792

STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1966 Sheet .5 of a INVENTOR 051.??? A. FOAfMA/V July 1, 1969 R. E. FOREMAN STUD DRILLING MACHINE Sheet Filed Aug. 19, 1966 V INVENTOR P054577 ZFO/K'MAN y 1969 R- E. FOREMAN 3,452,792

STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19. 1966 Sheet 5 of 8 July 1, 1969 v R. E. FOREMAN 3,452,792

STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19. 1966 Sheet Q of 8 INVENTOR E0515??? .6. fOfA-MAA/ July 1, 1969 R. E. FOREMAN 3,

STUD DRILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1966 Sheet 7 of s J'Il H! In, //6 7/0 T I I:

INVENTOR F0317? 7' f. FORE/WAN July 1, 1969 Filed Aug. 19. 1966 R. E. FOREMAN STUD DRILLING MACHINE Sheet 8 of8 United States Patent 3,452,792 STUD DRILLING MACHINE Robert E. Foreman, 1900 River Shore Road, Elizabeth City, N.C. 27909 Filed Aug. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 573,536 Int. Cl. B27c 3 00, 3/04 US. Cl. 144-93 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a machine for drilling holes in one or both ends of a wall forming stud used in the construction of a building so that such stud can be mounted on upper and lower plates in predetermined spaced relation and connected thereto by fasteners disposed within the predrilled holes so that the stud does not shift or move laterally when being secured to the plates.

Heretofore in the construction of buildings of various kinds, a plurality of bottom plates have been secured to the flooring of the building and such plates define the position of walls and partitions which separate the building into various rooms and compartments. Normally a plurality of studs are placed on the bottom plates at predetermined spacings in accordance with local building codes, and after the studs have been located in position a plurality of fasteners are toenailed in at an angle of approximately 45 to secure the studs to the plates. In applying the fasteners the initial force of the fastener is against the stud and such force causes the stud to move from the predetermined spacing so that the spacing between adjacent studs varies and quite often the studs themselves are not plumb.

It is an object of the invention to provide a stud drilling machine which will automatically drill a plurality of openings in one or both ends of a stud and from one or both sides of each, so that when the stud is placed in position the fasteners will be received within the openings in such a manner that the initial force against the fastener will be directly against the plate and the tendency to move the stud is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stud drilling machine which will automatically drill a plurality of openings in one or both ends of a stud and thereafter will discharge the drilled stud and move an undrilled stud into position for drilling.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, a vertical section on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a horizontal section on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, an enlarged fragmentary detail illustrating the manner in which the drills form holes in one end of a stud;

FIG. 5, an enlarged fragmentary perspective illustrating one end of a stud after it has been drilled;

FIG. 6, a fragmentary section on the line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7, an enlarged fragmentary perspective illustrating one end of a stud moving carriage;

FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11, enlarged side elevations illustrating sequential steps in the movement of the stud carriage;

FIG. 12, an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the stud loading rack;

FIG. 13, a section on the line 1313 of FIG. 1;

FIG. '14, a fragmentary section on the line 1414 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15, an enlarged section on the line 1515 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16, a section on the line 1616 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17, a section on the line 1717 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18, a side elevation of a modified form of the invention with portions broken away;

FIG. 19, a section on the line 1919 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20, a section on the line 20-20 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21, a top plan view of one end of the machine of FIG. 18; and,

FIG. 22, a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system of the machine.

With continued reference to the drawings the stud drilling machine of the present invention may be adapted to drill a plurality of holes in one or both ends of a stud S as such stud is moved automatically through the machine. If desired the machine may have one end fixed and the opposite end movable to accommodate studs of various lengths, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or both ends of the machine may be fixed to accommodate studs of a predetermined length.

The machine includes a main frame 30 having base members 31 on which a plurality of upright support members 32 are mounted. Upper members 33 are carried by the support members 32 and such upper members may be disposed at an angle to the base members 31 or may be generally parallel therewith. A mounting plate or member 34 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper members 33 in any desired manner so that such mounting member is located at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal. A pair of mounting blocks 35 are carried by the member 34 and each of such mounting blocks supports a drill 36 which may be hydraulically or electrically operated. Each mounting member is adapted to have a pair of drills mounted thereon in spaced parallel relation to each other. Each drill has a bit 37 on one end and means is provided for rotating the drill bit as well as for extending and retracting the same relative to the stud S. If desired the drill bits may be retained within guides 38 disposed adjacent to the stud S which are adapted to guide the drill bits and prevent breakage thereof when the bits penetrate the stud. I

As illustrated in FIG. 1 a pair of drills 36 are carried by the upper members 33 and a cooperating pair of drills 36 are carried by mounting blocks 35 on a member 34 which in turn is supported on structural members 39 fixed to the support members 32. The upper and lower pairs of drills are staggered relative to each other, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, so that when the drills are advanced to cause the bits to penetrate the stud S, the bits of the upper drills will not engage the bits of the lower .drills.

During the drilling operation the stud S is held in fixed position in a manner which will be described later, and the ends of the stud are retained within slideways 40 carried by the upright support members 32 (FIG. 4). In order for the drill bits 37 to pass completely through the stud, the slideways 40 are provided with openings 41 in the backplate which permits the drill bits to pass through the stud and the slideways.

In order to supply studs to the drilling station an auxiliary frame 44 is provided mounted on the base members 31 adapted to move studs from one side of the machine to the other in intermittent steps. In order to do this a rack 45 is mounted at one side on the auxiliary frame 44 and such rack includes an end member 46 at each end of such auxiliary frame. Each of the end members includes a generally horizontally disposed flange 47 and a generally vertically disposed flange 48. An angle member 49 connects the end members 46 and such. angle member is adapted to support one or more vertical guides 50. The studs S initially are placed on the horizontal flange 47 between the end members 46 and then are moved so that they are confined between the vertical flange 48 and the guides 50 and are arranged in a stack with one stud on top of another. The angle member 49 is connected to the end members 46 at an elevation great enough to permit the studs to pass one at a time therebeneath.

In order to move the studs the auxiliary frame 44 may have a stud moving carriage 51 mounted on rails 52 supported by blocks 53 at opposite sides of the auxiliary frame 44. The carriage 51 includes a pair of plates 54 arranged in parallel relation to each other and connected by braces 55 and 56 to make certain that the plates 54 remain parallel with each other at all times. Each of the plates 54 is mounted on the rails 52 by a sliding connection such as a pair of ball bearing type bushings which permit movement of the carriage with minimum friction. Each of the plates 54 is provided with a pair of spaced stud engaging fingers 57 mounted on the upper surface of plates 54 by means of hinges 58. The fingers 57 normally are retained against a pair of stops 59 by means of a spring 60 connected at one end to the plate 54 and connected at the opposite end to a lug 61 carried by the fingers 57. The carriage 51 is adapted to be moved from side to side of the auxiliary frame by a fluid cylinder 62 pivotally connected at one end to lugs 63 carried by the auxiliary frame 44. The cylinder 62 is provided with a piston rod 64 connected to lugs 65 carried by the carriage 51 so that when the piston rod is extended the carriage will be moved to one side of the auxiliary frame, and when the piston rod is retracted the carriage will be moved to the opposite side of such frame.

With reference to FIGS. 7-11, when a stud is being drilled the piston rod 64 is in extended position and the stud is held in fixed position. After the drill bits have been retracted fluid is introduced into the cylinder to retract the piston rod 64 and cause the carriage 51 to move to the opposite side of the auxiliary frame 44. During the movement of the carriage one of the fingers 57 will engage the stud which has just been drilled and the other finger will engage a stud carried by the rack 45. Continued retraction of the piston rod Will cause the fingers to pivot downwardly against the tension of the springs 60 until the fingers pass underneath the studs which they are engaging. As soon as the fingers have cleared the studs the springs 60 will return the fingers to upright position against the stops 59. The fluid being introduced into the cylinder 62 then is reversed to cause the piston rod to be extended. During the outward movement of the piston rod one of the fingers will engage the stud which has previously been drilled and the other finger will engage the lowermost stud carried by the rack 45 to move one stud away from the drilling station and to move another stpd into position at the drilling station.

In order to stop the stud at a predetermined position at the drilling station, each of the plates 54 is provided with a cam 66 adapted to engage a stop pin 67 mounted in a holder 68 on the auxiliary frame 44 in such a manner that when the carriage approaches the end of its travel the cam 66 will raise the stop pin 67 so that the stud will be confined between the fingers 57 on one side and the stop pin 67 on the opposite side. When the carriage is retracted the cam is removed from beneath the stop pin which permits the stop pin to return to the holder 68 so that the other fingers 57 can remove the stud after it has been drilled.

During the drilling operation it is desirable to prevent up and down movement of the stud and this is accomplished by suspending a strap member 70 from a pair of depending members 71 and 72 attached at their upper ends to the upper members 33. The lower end of the depending member 71 has a pivot pin 73 about which one end of the strap 70 is rotatably mounted. The lower end of the depending member 72 has a guide block 74 having an opening 75. The opposite end of the strap member 70 is provided with an upstanding pin 76 having threads 77, and such pin extends through the opening 75 and receives a nut 78 to prevent the return of the pin through the opening. A spring 79 is disposed about the pin 76 between the guide block 75 and the end of the strap member 70 in a position to exert a downward force against the strap member until the nut 78 engages the guide block 74. When a stud S is moved to the drilling station such stud will engage the strap member 70 and force the same upwardly against the tension of the spring 79 to hold the stud in fixed position.

The movement of the studs across the machine and the in-and-out movement of the drill bits are synchronized so that the drill bits can only be extended when the studs remain in fixed position. This is done by providing a relatively small electric motor 82 mounted on a platform 83 carried by the upright support members 32 and such motor is provided with a gear reduction 84. The gear reduction drives an output shaft 85 on which a pair of cams 86 and 87 are mounted and are rotated when the motor 82 is operated. A micro-switch 88 is mounted on the platform 83 and has an operating arm 89 with a follower 90 on the free end thereof and such follower is in engagement with the cam 86. The microswitch 88 controls the flow of fluid to the fluid cylinder 62 which causes the carriage 51 to move back and forth and advance the studs to the drilling station. As soon as a stud is in the drilling station the micro-switch 88 is de-energized and a second micro-switch 91 having an operating arm 92 with a follower 93 on the free end adapted to engage the cam 87 is energized to cause the drills to be extended so that the bits 37 penetrate the ends of the stud and thereafter are retracted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 13 and 14, one end of the machine may be movable to accommodate studs of varying lengths. In order to do this the support members 32 at one end of the machine are mounted on slidable base members 95 which rest on wear strips 96 carried by the base members 31. The base members 31 at opposite sides of the machine are connected by an end member 97 and an intermediate member 98. The members 97 and 98 rotatably support a threaded rod 99 having an operating handle 100 at one end. An internally threaded hub 101 is mounted on the movable end of the machine and such hub is adapted to receive the threaded rod 99 so that when the rod is rotated in one direction the movable end will be moved away from the fixed end by the screw threads, and when the rod is rotated in the opposite direction the movable end will be moved toward the fixed end.

With reference to FIG. 18 a modified form of the invention is illustrated in which the auxiliary frame 44 has been replaced by an auxiliary frame 105 which includes generally upright support members 106 connected by upwardly opening channel members 107 extending across the width of the machine. An endless chain 108 is disposed within each of the channel members 107 and such chain is provided with a plurality of spaced upstanding lugs 109 adapted to engage the studs S and move the studs across the auxiliary frame 105 when the chains are operated. In order to operate the chains 108 a drive shaft 110 mounted in bearings 111 is disposed along one side of the auxiliary frame 105 and an idler shaft 112 is mounted in bearings 113 on the opposite side of the auxiliary frame. Sprockets 114 and 115 are mounted on $6 drive and idler shafts, respectively, and the drive shaft 110 is provided with a drive sprocket 116 driven by a chain 117 from a sprocket 118 mounted on the shaft 119 of a drive motor 120. The motor 120 is supported by cross members 121 extending between th base members 31 and such motor is controlled by the cam 86 driven by the motor 82.

With reference to FIG. 22 a schematic of the hydraulic system of the machine is illustrated and includes an inlet pipe 124 connected to a source of fluid under pressure (not shown) and if desired such inlet pipe may be provided with conventional oil and water separators 125 and 126, respectively. The fluid under pressure enters a first header 127 having a plurality of connections 128 each of which is connected by a fluid line 129 to one of the drills 36 to rotate the drills. Fluid under pressure is discharged from the header 127 through a line 130 to a distributor valve 131 controlled by solenoids 132 and 133. When solenoid 132 is energized fluid under pressure will pass through the distributor valve 131 and through a fluid line 134 to a header 135 having a plurality of connections 136 each of which is connected by a fluid line 137 to one of the drills to cause the drill to be extended. When the drill is fully extended a limit switch (not shown) will de-energize solenoid 132 and energize solenoid 133 to move the distributor valve and direct fluid through the fluid line 138 to a header 139 having a plurality of connections 140 each of which is connected by a fluid line 141 to the drills 36 to cause such drills to be retracted.

In the operation of the device a plurality of studs of substantially the same length are placed within the rack 45 after which the stud moving means in the form of a carriage 51 or endless chains 108 is operated to move the lowermost stud from the rack and to move such stud to the drilling station. After the stud is in position the transverse movement of the stud is interrupted after which the drills 36 are extended to bore holes in at least one end of the stud. At the completion of their stroke the drills are retracted and the stud which has been drilled is removed from the drilling station while a new stud is moved into position to be drilled.

If desired one or more safety features could be built into the machine, such as a time delay after the drills have been retracted to make certain that all of the drills have cleared the stud before the stud is moved to the next position. Also an interlock switch 143 may be mounted on braces 144 and have an operating arm 145 extending downwardly into the path of travel of the studs to prevent the machine from operating when a stud is not positioned at the drilling station.

It will be apparent that a stud drilling machine has been provided which will automatically move a stud to a predetermined drilling station and thereafter drill one or a plurality of openings in the end of such stud and thereafter discharge the stud from the machine.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stud drilling machine for drilling a plurality of holes in at least one end of a stud, said machine comprising a base, a frame mounted on said base, rack means located at one side of said frame and adapted to receive a plurality of studs disposed in stacked substantially vertical relation to each other, a drilling station spaced at predetermined distance from said rack, means for moving a stud from said rack across said frame to said drilling station, means for maintaining said stud in fixed position at said drilling station, upper and lower mounting members carried by said frame at said drilling station, at leaast one drill having a drill bit carried by each mounting member substantially in a vertical plane with the stud to be drilled, each of said drills being disposed at an angle less than to the plane of movement of said studs, one of said drills being offset laterally from the other drill, means for extending and retracting said drill bits to drill a hole extending from one side through the end of the stud at said drilling station, and means for moving said studs from said drilling station after the holes have been drilled therein.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said means for moving said studs to a drilling station includes a carriage, fluid means for extending and retracting said carriage, and means on said carriage for engaging and bypassing said stud when the carriage is moved in one direction and for moving the stud when the carriage is moved in the other direction.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which one end of said frame is slidably mounted on said base to accommodate studs of different lengths.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 796,095 8/1905 Wattie 144-93 X 1,195,852 8/1916 Purdy et al. 144-93 1,748,556 2/1930 McKnight 144-106 X 1,838,780 12/ 1931 Miller et al. 144245 2,796,897 6/1957 Payzant 14492 DONALD R. SCHRAN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

